


Shields and Honey

by Thatbookishgirl



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Anal Sex, Angst, Attempted Sexual Assault, Baker Castiel (Supernatural), Bisexual Dean Winchester, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Butt Plugs, Complete, Cop Dean, Cuddling, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Grinding, Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, M/M, Minor Injuries, Minor Violence, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Pining, Protective Dean Winchester, Slow Burn, Stalking, did i mention slow burn before
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-21
Updated: 2017-12-12
Packaged: 2019-02-04 23:47:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12782277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thatbookishgirl/pseuds/Thatbookishgirl
Summary: Castiel is a baker who is working late one night when someone breaks in. Officers Dean and Sam Winchester respond to a tripped security system to find Castiel cowering in his shop. The case turns out to be more complicated than a simple breaking and entering gone wrong and Dean gets assigned to protect Castiel while also figuring out who would hurt this man. But he might be falling hard for the weird baker, and that could complicate things.





	1. Chapter 1

Dean and Sam were called to, what appeared to be a standard breaking and entering at a local bakery. Dean had walked by it numerous times, he’d even had plenty of pastries from there whenever Ellen brought things for the precinct, and everything made at  _ Miel _ was perfect; they were successful so it was no wonder someone would try and rob them. When they walked in the door, the first thing Dean noticed was the lack of damage to the front. There was a light on in the kitchen and a cold breeze coming through the building. As booth men drew their weapons and pushed through into the back they heard a moan and whimper. There was flour everywhere and half a cake on the floor. There was some glass and other utensils near the back of the room where it looks like a door was broken through. Under a prep station they saw a man curled up on his side with a knife in his hand. 

“Sir. I am officer Winchester, I am here to help you. Are you injured?” Dean began as Sam swept the rest of the building. Dean radioed the station to let them know there was an injured civilian onsite who needed medical care. 

“ - he broke in. I tried to fight,” the man stammered. His chin was still tucked into his chest and Dean was trying to assess the extent of his injuries but was having trouble. There was some blood on the man’s arm and his pants were torn at his hips; belt loops ripped and the back of his shirt tugged up. 

“Can I help you out from under the table? I need to get a look at you and the EMTs will be here soon. What’s your name?” Dean continued.

“Castiel Novak. I own this place,” he murmured as he slowly sat up. Dean held out his hand to steady the man. When he finally looked up, Dean was captivated by the brightest blue eyes he had ever seen. He had to compose himself because now was not the time to be caught up in these sort of things; this man was a victim. 

  


“Ok Castiel. Can you stand or do you wanna remain seated? Did you hit your head?” Dean pressed.

“I’d rather sit, actually. I did not hit my head, but my heart is racing and I might faint if I stand,” he confessed. Dean had to laugh at that honesty and sat down next to him. Sam re-entered the kitchen.

“No sign of whoever broke in. He must have ran when the alarm went off,” the taller brunette informed. 

“Wanna tell us what happened while we wait for the EMTs?” Dean soothed as he got Castiel a glass of water. Sam was putting on gloves so he could bag the knife and took some photos of the kitchen while writing down notes.

“I was working late to finish a wedding cake for tomorrow. I wanted it to be as fresh as possible for the couple, but...it’s ruined now,” he frowned at the cake and frosting mess on the ground to his left, “I heard a noise by the delivery entrance and thought it was just Gordon, he’s a homeless man who sometimes goes through our dumpsters for things we toss out. I just leave him bags of sweet and savory pastries. I leave the back door unlocked for him sometimes, if I’m working, he is nice company when I am here late. Anyway, I looked up and saw a man with a black balaclava pulled over his face and he rushed at me. I tried to get out of the way. He shoved me against the wall and started yelling at me.”

“What was he saying to you?” Sam cocked his head.

“He...he told me I was stuffy and full of myself. That I didn’t know a good thing when it was in front of me. I don't know why. And he was speaking with a weird voice, like he was trying to sound different,” the baker furrowed his brow.

“That sounds personal,” Dean observed, wondering what might be going on in this man’s life to garner this sort of action.

“Then what?” Sam eased him on.

“I swung at him and he just laughed. I grabbed one of the knives I had been using to slice lemons for the cake and sliced his arm. He jumped back and I tried to move past him, but he grabbed me and pushed me against the table where the cake was. He - he bent me over it and pinned my arms,” Castiel swallowed and looked shameful, which reminded Dean of some other victims he had talked to, “I tried to get away, but all the movement sent the cake to the floor. I got one arm free and I elbowed him in the face. I was able to get away again to hit the panic button by my office. It’s a silent alarm. He...got me onto the ground and rolled me to my stomach. He tore at my clothes and kept hitting me, he pulled my hair and was about to hit me over the head when he heard the bell by the front door go off. Then he got up and rushed out the back. I crawled under the table and hoped it was you guys and not someone else coming to hurt me.”

Dean tried to tame his anger, he felt Sam’s hand on his arm to anchor him. He knew what this sounded like; this was someone who knew Castiel would be working alone and had a specific goal in mind. Dean was, sometimes, particularly sensitive to sexual assault cases. He had done a lot of training with CSEC units before relocating to this area with his brother. He was ripped from his thoughts by the sound of EMTs coming through the front area. Sam called them back and finished taking Castiel’s statement. Dean worked with another officer to collect the rest of the scene. After the EMTs cleared him of having any serious injuries beyond some bruises they drove him to the station to get a report started.

  


Ellen was already waiting with some tea brewing and an interview room set up when they arrived. Dean had texted her that it was a ‘sensitive victim’ case and she tried to make the setting as calm as possible. Sam was gathering materials while Ellen gave Castiel some tea. Dean had gotten Bobby, their captain, up to speed on the case. When he finally entered the interview room he was pleased to see a more relaxed looking Castiel sipping tea with a blanket around his shoulders. 

“Is there anyone you need to call?” Dean asked.

“I need to call my brother. And Charlie, the bride, I need to let her know as early as possible that there will be a delay on her cake. I might be able to call Kevin to go in and finish it before delivering it. So maybe I don’t need to call her. I feel terrible that I ruined it, she needs to have a perfect day. I - “

“Calm down there,” Dean cut in, “We can get you a phone to call your brother. I’m sure the bride will understand about the cake. You don’t need to worry so much about that right now.”

“You don’t understand - it’s her wedding day! It needs to be perfect,” Castiel began to panic, but Sam just made a soft noise to distract the man as he rambled.

“One thing at a time. Let’s call your brother and we can work on the rest,” Sam soothed. Castiel just nodded and fished out his cellphone. He dialed Gabriel while Dean gathered more information for the file.

“ _ Why are you calling me at 2am, baby bro. Charlie’s wedding is today _ ,” Gabriel yawned.

“I - uh - I’m at the police station, Gabe. Someone broke into the shop and I was attacked,” Castiel tensed.

“ _ What?!” _ both Dean and Sam heard the man yell from the phone, “ _ I’m coming. Which precinct? Are you hurt? I gotta call Anna. _ ”

“I’m at the station on 12th. Please don’t bother Anna, she’s in the wedding party,” Castiel whined.

“ _ Whatever. I’m out the door. I’ll be there in 10 minutes, _ ” Gabriel panted as he was clearly struggling to do multiple things at once with a phone in his hand. He hung up quickly and Castiel just bowed his head.

“My brother shall be here soon,” he sighed.

“If yours is anything like mine, he will probably annoy the hell out of you for the next month; hovering like a mama bird,” Dean joked.

“Hey,” Sam hit his arm. It was then that Castiel noticed the badges both men wore. Winchester was stark on both uniforms.

“You’re brothers?” Castiel raised a brow.

“These two idjits don’t work well with anyone else but each other,” he heard from the door. He turned his head to see an older man in a wheelchair at the entrance to the room. He had a baseball hat on and had a warm, but gruff, air about him, “I’m Captain Singer. Wanted to check in on ya and make sure these two boys are making sure all our needs are met.”

“They have been great. Thank you,” Castiel nodded. 

“And I see Ellen made you some of her tea. It does wonder for me. Always help me get to sleep,” Bobby drawled.

“It’s the valerian root,” Castiel announced, “It has calming properties. I used it in some tea cakes I make.”

“Damn. You’re right,” Bobby chuckled. Dean was staring at Castiel with a level of awe. Before conversation could move forward, they heard shouting from the receiving area.

“Cassie!” someone called out.

“That’ll be Gabe,” Castel sighed. They all found a blonde man being led into the room by Ellen, who mostly just looked annoyed. 

“Oh, Cassie. What did they do to you?” Gabriel frowned.

  


“It was just one person. And I’m fine. Just some bruises,” Castiel tempted to calm.

“Just some bruises?!” Gabriel flailed, “You were attacked. And probably by the psycho that has been bothering you for weeks now.”

“Gabe!” Castiel hissed, not wanting that issue being made known in front of the police officers.

“What psycho?” Bobby interrupted.

“Some crazy-pants, asshole has been sending him threatening letters for the past 4 months. They are creepy and we don’t even know what they want or why they are bothering him,” the man began to explain.

“Did you save these letters?” Dean cut in.

“I did,” Gabriel huffed, “Cassie here just wanted to throw them away and wait for the problem to disappear. Stalkers don’t disappear.”

“He’s right,” Sam winced, “Someone who would be sending you threatening letters or engaging in stalker-like behavior tend not to go away unless they get arrested. And it is likely that whoever attacked you is or is at least connected to the stalker you have.”

“I don’t have a stalker!” Castiel argued.

“Yes. You. Do,” Gabriel punctuated, “At first we just thought it was an admirer, but the letters got creepier and they would leave things at his job. And his apartment. Even Anna has been worried about it. She was tempted to hire a bodyguard or something in case something exactly like this happened!” 

“I think you need to calm down a bit,” Sam stepped forward to place a hand on Gabriel’s shoulder. The man was practically vibrating with anger. 

“How about we take a breather. Get some more tea. Or coffee. We figure out what is actually going on. Deal?” Dean stepped forward. Castiel tugged the blanket tighter around his shoulders and Gabriel deflated. He nodded and sat next to his brother. Bobby motioned for the officers to follow him out while Ellen hung back to assist the other two as they came down from the night each had.

In Bobby’s office, the three seemed tense. Dean was pacing in the back ofthe room as Sam laid out the evidence they collected, “We should get those letters,” Bobby started, “If he has a stalker, and I’m sure he does, we need to determine the level of risk here. I don’t believe this attack was unrelated.”

“I agree. I mean, what sort of coincidence is that?” Dean worried.

“We know it wasn’t a robbery. Nothing was taken. They were there for him,” Sam frowned.

“I know what the attack looked like...torn clothes, all targeted around his waist. He was being dominated and the language the attacker used was all-too-familiar. Had we not arrived it would have been a sexual assault. My gut is screaming it at me, Bobby,” Dean lamented, fists clenching at his sides.

“I believe you, kid. We need more information. If we can get those letters we can get a better idea of what sort of person we are looking at. I’m tempted to put a detail on him,” Bobby started.

“A stalker would notice a detail,” Sam pointed out.

“Undercover support?” Dean asked.

“That might be a better way to go,” Bobby agreed.

“He doesn’t seem the type to be on board for that,” Sam added on.

“Might not have a choice if he wants to stay safe, though,” Bobby sighed, “Ellen might be able to convince him. She has that way about her.”

“True. If that fails, we can sic Jo on them,” Dean half-smiled.

“Yea, yea,” Bobby organized the Novak file.

“If we can get him on board, I think I have an idea about how to figure this all out and keep him safe,” Sam perked.

“I’m all ears, boy,” Bobby leaned forward on his desk and waited for a plan of attack.

  
  


“So, boys,” Ellen hummed as she gave Gabriel, yet another, cup of sugar to stir into his tea, “It’s been a rough night and it seems to me you disagree on what is really going on here.”

“He’s in denial,” Gabriel grunted as he spooned sugar.

“I think you are simply being an alarmist,” Castiel stared.

“I stopped being an alarmist once the threats went from being vague to being prominent and real. You are bleeding,” Gabriel furrowed his brow and settled his arm around Castiel, “I gotta keep you safe. You need to let us help you.”

“I’ve been managing just fine so far…” he trailed off and shut his eyes.

“Managing is not the same as doing well. Sure, you started your own business and it is thriving, despite the fact that mom and dad tossed you out the day after high school graduation. You have done so beautifully despite that shit. But now - now things are different. This isn’t about getting a business loan or securing licenses. This is about safety. Please let us help you,” he practically begged. Castiel just looked at his brother and felt defeat. He had been scared, for weeks. He was determined to get through this alone like he had with other things, but this might be bigger than him now. Gabriel had always been his biggest supporter, especially after he came out to his parents and their Christian morals led them to booting him out of the house. He had couch-surfed for a time before he managed to get into low-income housing near his brother. He could’ve lived with Gabriel at any time, but he wanted to make it on his own. He managed to get a job at a local bakery and fell in love with baking. He experimented with different recipes and, over time, made a name for himself. He was able to get a business loan and had some support from his former boss to start his own place. He was a success and he managed it mostly on his own. It was hard to ask for help.

“Maybe...the police can help. We can give them the letters,” he sighed.

“Great. I know my boys and they will figure this thing out. You don’t need to worry,” Ellen soothed. Castiel felt calmer with her there. There was this motherly aura about her that he never got from his own. As they sat in relative silence, Dean and Sam re-entered the room.

“So, we have direct orders with the case. Me and Dean are assigned to work this until we catch your stalker. Dean is going to be undercover detail at your bakery. He will gather intel on regulars that come in. He will watch people watching you. He will follow you home, he might meet on of the way to work. He will be in the background at almost all times, but he won’t be recognized as a threat to the stalker because he’s going to look like just a new employee,” Sam explained.

“Wait, what?” Castiel paused.

“I’m gonna be your new server, or host, or flour carrier. Whatever. Fact is, I’ll be on you; keeping you safe and tracking whoever it is tracking you,” the blonde sat, Castiel directly across from him. He swallowed and nodded. He accepted this and suddenly felt safer that Dean would always be around. This strong man with the soft, green eyes would get rid of whoever had been haunting him.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Dean was ready. He followed instructions from Bobby and Castiel. He arrived at the bakery bright and early, but almost dead on his feet. They needed to look like nothing was out of the ordinary, especially after reading the latters. Gabriel had given over a large file worth of letters. They dated back at least 4 months, but they suspected he might have been watching Castiel for much longer than that. This only solidified their resolve to commit to undercover work. Dean was just a new hire and Castiel was soldiering through a traumatic event. Everything smelled amazing as he walked through the back door. There was an asian boy piping frosting onto some cupcakes and another boy boxing things delicately. Gabriel was there, leaning against a work station and watching the boys. He nodded at Dean and fell into the new role.

“Hey there, blondie. New guy?” he smirked.

“Uh, yea. My name is Dean. I was hired as another set of hands to help around the shop,” he began. They decided to just stick with his real name, ultimately, since Castiel had enough trouble lying as it was.

“Oh, hi,” one boy waved, “I’m Kevin. This is Samandriel. We are Castiel’s apprentices.”

“Nice to meet you. I look forward to working with you,” Dean smiled.

“It’s a weird day to start. Someone broke in last night and ruined a wedding cake. And they hurt Castiel. So we are playing catch-up and he’s a bit frazzled. Don’t be alarmed if he is weird. Or...weirder than usual,” Samandriel shrugged. Gabriel just shook his head and turned towards the office where Castiel was exiting. Dean startled a bit. Castiel was much more cleaned up the night before, his eyes brighter despite the swelling around his nose and lips. His hair was mussed up and Dean almost ached to brush it back.

“Oh. Hi,” Castiel paused.

“Heya, Cas,” Dean beamed, “I hear that today is a weird day to start.”

“Um. Yes. It is. We had a break in last night and I am on edge. I apologize if I am short today,” he breathed.

“No worries, man. I’d be out of sorts too,” Dean soothed.

“If you’ll step into my office...we can finish your paperwork and we can get you started today,” Castiel gestured to his door and Dean waltzed in. Castiel simply closed the door behind them and collapsed into his desk chair. He hugged his arms to his body and seemed to try and calm himself. Dean had seen this before; the gradual coming down from an attack. People always try to go about as if there was nothing wrong. They don’t attend to themselves and think normalcy will somehow make them feel secure. 

“You need to take some breaths,” Dean began.

“Sorry. I - I just...I feel a little lost right now. My heart won’t seem to stop racing,” he admitted.

“That’s ok. You barely slept, you suffered a traumatic event, and you have a busy job. You have a lot going on. If Sam were here he’d tell you to do yoga in your office,” Dean chuckled.

“I do enjoy yoga. I just don’t have it in me to do very much right now. I did get Kevin to start on cupcake replications of the cake that got ruined last night. I want the wedding today to have something at least,” the baker flustered, “I used my own recipe for them. This delicate honey cake, not too sweet, with these citrus layers folded in. I was going to used fresh fruit also. It was to be a naked cake with layers of light cream between them with hidden chocolate for Charlie. I wanted perfection for them.” Dean sat in awe as Castiel talked about his baking. He seemed to light up and became more animated. It was cute.

“I’m sure they’ll love these cupcakes just as much. It’s not like the happy couple can really hold it against you that someone broke in. And if they throw any attitude your way, I’d be happy to lay on my charm. Or death glare. Whichever works better,” he grinned.

“I doubt that will be necessary, but thank you,” he managed as he settled into his chair, that was until his door swung open.

“Castiel Novak, you self-sacrificing, piece of angelic garbage,” a fiery red head stormed in with another woman, shorter dark hair, right behind.

“Charlie, what are you doing here?” he stood.

“What am i doing here?! You were attacked and didn’t bother to call!” she flung her arms above her head. 

  


“To be fair, I told her to give you space, Clarence,” the brunette sighed.

“You both need to get to the church. Your wedding is in - “

“Dial it back there, pal,” the other girl held up her hand, “We can get married whenever. Its legal and all that jazz now. But we can’t very well tie the knot if we think you’re bruised and broken in your bakery just to produce us another cake. We’d rather make sure you weren’t languishing. Thanks for riling her up for me, though.”

“Meg,” Charlie rolled her eyes, “I don’t give a flying frick about the cake. Are you ok?”

“I am fine. The officers responded quickly. I only have minimal bruising,” he gave.

“Minimal bruising,” Meg snorted, “it looks like someone went to town on your face.” Dean had just been watching the exchange between the two women and Castiel, slowly catching up and still a bit unclear on the dynamic. He coughed to move the conversation along.

“Oh. Dean. Yes. This is my friend Charlie and her fiance Meg. They are getting married today. Their cake was the one ruined,” Castiel explained, “Dean is my new hire. He is going to help in front and back.”

“Plus, he looks like nice muscle to keep all the other baddies away,” Meg raked her eyes up and down his body.

“Dude. We are getting married in 4 hours,” Charlie huffed.

“You know i only got eyes for you. He’s just very pretty,” she smirked. 

“Back to the point,” Castiel sighed, “I have Kevin and Samandriel making cupcakes for your big day. Anna and Gabriel will be going with me to the wedding. Everything is fine.”

“We are so not done talking about this,” Charlie glared. Meg just grabbed her arm and tugged her out the door.

“We are going to go get ready now. We will see you later, Clarence. Take care of yourself. Bring the muscle if you want. We can watch half the wedding party fight over him,” Meg finished as they left the office. Dean blew out a breath and refocused on Castiel.

“My friends are...interesting,” he tilted his head.

“No judgement here,” Dean held up his hands, “Mine are all sorts of bananas.”

“Charlie is easily my most interesting friend,” Castiel gave a soft smile.

“And, lucky for me, I scored an invite to her wedding. Should we get super drunk and see how many bridesmaids you can hook up with?” he laughed.

“You do not need to attend with me, Dean,” Castiel furrowed his brow.

“I disagree. More-than-likely, you know the stalker and they know you. They might even be at the wedding. I know you don’t like it, but I’ll be coming,” he was stern. Meg pointedly said to bring him, probably thinking the same things Gabriel and the rest had been thinking. Castiel grit his teeth before deflating, he would never win a battle against Dean and Gabriel.

“Fine. But you won’t draw attention to yourself,” he mumbled and went back out into the kitchen.

 

6 hours later, Dean and Castiel were standing in a huge ballroom. Dean was more surprised than anyone by the...unusual wedding theme. Meg, apparently eager to please, let Charlie take charge of all wedding planning and they ended up with something that looked like it came right out of a fantasy novel. Charlie wore a long, lacy, white dress with ribbons trailing down her hair. Meg had her hair down, but wore a fitted suit. There were twinkle lights everywhere and they served honey wine instead of hard liquor. The menu came right out of the medieval times and Dean was more than pleased. He had hung back as suggested and mostly surveyed the crowd for anyone watching Castiel. No one had really stood out to him. To sway suspicion, Meg said Dean was just an old friend who happened to start working for Castiel. Everyone seemed to believe it.

During some wild dancing, Dean planted himself at the back of the room. Castiel was flanked by Gabriel and his sister Anna while Charlie was dancing with her dad. Meg wandered away from the crowd and snuck up on the unsuspecting Dean.

“So, Winchester, is it as bad as I think it is?” Meg hummed.

“What?” Dean panicked. He never mentioned his last name.

“Oh come on. I work for the next county over. I’m an investigator with the 9-5. I’ve seen you around before. I fingered you the second Castiel struggled to introduce you. If Cas has a detail then I assume the attack was not your average robbery gone bad,” she held his gaze, “The letters?”

“Yea...we think he has a stalker. The attack appears personal. It’s my job to figure out who it is,” he revealed.

“Keep our boy safe, Winchester. Charlie worries,” she grinned before walking off. Dean relaxed a bit, knowing he had nothing to worry about from Meg now, and knowing she might be a helpful ally if things go tits up later. He watched Meg pull Charlie into a slow dance while Castiel watched on with a smile. Even with the redness and bruising, Castiel was still one of the most beautiful people in that room. Dean really needed to stop thinking things like that, but it was hard. He was a weak man, so sue him, he knew an attractive man when he saw one. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t dipped his toe into both pools, much to the chagrin of his father. 

The rest of the night was quiet. No one stood out to him as alarming. He really wished there had been someone who struck a chord, because he wanted to keep that man safe, and he wasn’t. 


	3. Chapter 3

It had been 2 weeks. 2 weeks of Dean working in the bakery and tracking all the people who came and went. Castiel had gotten 3 more letters in the time frame, all seemingly apologetic. The letters had all been dropped directly into a mailbox near the post office and all the fingerprints matched no one in their systems. He was going a bit batty about it, if Dean was honest. He had nothing to go on and he was worried that Castiel was just going to be attacked again if Dean got pulled. The only silver lining to all this time was that Dean got to spend a lot of time with Castiel. He was even taught how to bake a few things, only ever having known how to make pies. Castiel actually loved Dean’s pies and tried to talk him into making some for the bakery. He could only be convinced to make a caramelized pear pie and a classic cherry pie, especially since it meant long nights with Castiel in the kitchen. Castiel, when he was relaxed, was actually pretty funny and had a lovely smile. He was odd, but fun. He found himself craving more time with the man, wondering what he did at night when they weren’t in each other’s spaces. 

“Dean, your pies might become my new favorite thing,” Castiel announced with a shy smile.

“I’m not a roll. No need to butter me up, Cas,” Dean rolled his eyes. Castiel paused for a second before barking out a loud and full belly laugh.

“That was one of the funniest things I have ever heard. I love food humor,” he continued to chuckle.

“Wow. I should not bring you out to dinner with Sam. He loves puns way too much. You’d get on like fire,” he smirked. 

“I am certain your brother is just as funny as you are,” he smiled as he rolled out more dough.

“I resent that. I am definitely funnier. He’s just smarter. But I got all the looks,” Dean bat his eyes and swept up some flour that had spilled to the floor earlier. They continued to work, making easy conversation when the bell up front rang out. Both men looked and craned their heads to see a taller, blonde man approach the counter. 

“Oh,” Castiel blushed. And boy did that grab all of Dean’s attention.

“You know him?” Dean cocked a brow.

“Yes. Balthazar. We had gone on a date a few days before the break in. I have known him since I was 19 and we have been friends for awhile. I agreed to a date before he left for a business trip because I thought it would give me the space to consider a change to our relationship in that time frame. Unfortunately, I was a bit distracted,” Castiel worried his lower lip.

“You hadn’t mentioned a date before the attack,” Dean spoke.

“It hadn’t occurred to me that it might matter,” Castiel shrugged. 

“It hadn’t occurred to you that the man that attacked you might not have taken a liking to you having gone on a date?” Dean grumbled, “Stalkers tend to not like that.”

“Well, I know now,” Castiel bit before taking off his apron to greet Balthazar. The man was already walking back to the kitchen when he paused in the doorway.

“Cassie. Boy have I missed you,” he held open his arms and pulled Castiel in for a hug. Castiel tensed a bit and ended the hug quickly. Dean was watching as he swept. The man, Balthazar, was certainly attractive; tall and thin. He had an elegance about him that Dean knew he lacked himself unless he had a gun in his hand. When Balthazar glanced in his direction, Dean averted his eyes.

  


“New blood?” he inquired.

“Yes. This is Dean. I hired him to help me around the kitchen. And he is nice to have when I have to stay late. There was...an incident after you left for your business trip. A man broke in and attacked me,” he informed.

“Oh my god! What happened? Are  you alright, darling?” he cupped Castiel’s cheek, only for the man to shrug the touch off again.

“He hurt me. But he also ruined Charlie’s wedding cake,” he recalled.

“Of course. Only you would be more worried about a cake,” Balthazar sighed.

“It was important,” the brunette remarked.

“I know. Just, did the man get away? Have the police done anything? I need to know you’re safe,” he pressed on.

“He ran away and they never caught him. The police scared him off. They’re investigating, but I don’t think they have any leads. I can only hope he never comes back,” Castiel frowned.

“And I’m here if he does,” Dean chirped, watching Balthazar give a tight, fake smile.

“Ahh, yes. Keeping our boy safe,” he praised without a hint of sincerity.

“I’m going to take the garbage out,” Dean announced before reaching for the bags. He wanted some air and maybe some time to gather his thoughts about the new information regarding Balthazar. He didn’t like the man, but figured it was just some misplaced jealousy. As he tossed the bags into the dumpster, distracted, a bag snagged and some blackberry sauce ended up splashing all over the front of his shirt. 

“Damnit,” he grunted. He tore his white t-shirt off and just tossed it into the dumpster with everything else. He had a flannel wrapped around his waist and decided to just pull that on, it was better than nothing. As he worked it over his shoulders the backdoor swung open and Castiel stepped out into the alley. Both men froze.

  


  


A slow blush crept up Castiel’s face when he took in Dean’s exposed torso. He had sculpted muscles despite the near non-stop indulgence in pastries. Castiel was going to kill him with the honey cakes he made. Balthazar stepped up behind Castiel and let his eyes look over Dean as well, envy playing a bit clearly. 

“Did ya need somethin’ Cas?” Dean smirked.

“We heard you curse. Wanted to make sure you were ok,” he swallowed.

“Just got some food on my shirt is all. Sorry you walked in on a striptease,” he laughed, “I just changed my shirt.”

“Well, that mystery is solved,” Balthazar cut in, “Good thing no one tried to murder you.”

“They could try,” Dean cocked his head and finished buttoning up his shirt.

“How do you feel about drinks tonight,” Balthazar looked to Castiel.

“Sorry, Balt. I wanted to turn in early tonight. I have been feeling tense since the attack and it keeps giving me migraines. I’m too tired to go out,” he confessed.

“Oh dear. If you’d like, we could go back to yours. I could give you a massage to deal with the muscle tension. You know I have magic fingers,” he waved them in front of his face.

“Thank you for the offer, but I want to just go to bed early after organizing my new recipes,” he continued to turn down the man’s advances, “Dean has these lovely pie recipes I want to work into my new rotation. They were quite the hit. Dean fought a blush at the comment, never very good at accepting praise. 

“Well, you always love a good pie,” he sighed in resignation, “Do let me know if you change your mind.” Balthazar placed a small kiss on Castiel’s cheek and left through the alley.

“After we close up, we need to go have a chat with Sam,” Dean mentioned before heading back to the kitchen.

 

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

“Dean might be onto something,” Sam intoned, “If the stalker attacked because they thought you were dating, there is more we need to look at.”

“Like what? Do we need to dissect my entire dating history?” Castiel hissed.

“We might have to. No matter how embarrassing that might be,” Dean frowned.

“It’s not just embarrassing!” Castiel shouted, “Not only was I attacked, but I have to let near strangers sift through my private life. I have to let an officer follow me around every day. I can’t even feel safe in my home. I panic every time I check my damn mailbox!”

“Whoa. Hey. Breath, Cas,” Dean rushed over. He ran his hand up and down Castiel’s back in an attempt to soothe him. The man actually relaxed into the touch and Dean felt his muscles unfurl beneath his fingers, “Why don’t we do this is a non-clinical way. For every ex you talk about, I’ll talk about one of my own. Level the playing field a bit. What do you say? We can even make a drinking game out of it.”

  


“I suggest we imbibe copious amounts of alcohol,” Castiel sighed.

“I can get on board with that,” the blonde grinned, “Let’s grab some whiskey and head back to mine.”

“Oh, yea. You’ll take great notes when you’re drunk,” Sam rolled his eyes. 

“I promise not to get so wasted I’m bad at gathering data. Remember the case back in Tulsa? I was barely walking and I still got the code to that drug dealer’s compound,” Dean sassed.

“I expect very detailed paperwork,” the younger brother huffed and shoved the two out of his apartment. The duo walked out into the night and felt the cool air on their faces. Castiel was a complicated man that Dean was becoming more and more enamoured with, which was starting to keep him up at night. He shouldn’t be thinking of him that way. Castiel was standing close to him as they walked, curious about Dean’s apartment. Dean had been in Cas’ a few times now, but Dean was still a mystery.

“Mi casa,” Dean spread his arms as they walked into his apartment.

  


The building was old with high ceilings, the walls all exposed brick. There was sparse furniture in the apartment, a couch, a chair, a television and a table in the small kitchen. The lighting was beautiful and Castiel was a little jealous of the space even if Dean had no idea how to properly use it. His own space was small with very little natural light. Dean must have gotten this place for a steal. 

“I like your apartment. It’s huge,” Castiel looked around.

“Yea. I found it by chance and Sam said he’d kill me if I didn’t take it. I should do more with it, but I’m not here very much. I mean, I sleep on my couch more than in my bed,” he shrugged before moving to his cabinet to pull out a handle of whiskey. He set two glasses on his coffee table and sat on one end of the couch. Castiel slipped off his coat and sat on the other end.

“Sorry about my outburst earlier,” Castiel apologized.

“Don’t worry about it. I mean, you were justified in feeling that way. We are mucking around in your personal stuff. Which is why I’m going to let you muck around in mine,” he poured their drinks, “Now, let’s start from the very beginning and work our way towards the present. Makes the most sense.”

“I suppose. Do I need to include the first girl I kissed before I was honest with myself about being gay?” Castiel laughed.

“Nah. I’m guessing you were probably like 14? I doubt anyone has been stalking you that long,” he joked.

“Definitely not. Besides. That was Charlie. She came out before I did,” Castiel grinned, “The first boyfriend I ever had was named Alex. We only dated for a few weeks. Summer romance. Haven’t seen him since then. We were on vacation in California,” he sighed, “He was very good at kissing.”

“Well, well. Sounds better than my first girlfriend. Rhonda Hurley. We always hooked up in the back of my car. One time, she had me try on her panties for fun. I actually kinda liked it. Probably would have enjoyed it more if she hadn’t told everyone the next day,” he blushed, “I didn’t live that down for a while.” Castiel struggled not to picture Dean in panties, especially after the site he had earlier. He imagined that hip bones wrapped in satin. 

“Luckily, I avoided that sort of humiliation,” he snickered.

“I bet there’s some stories hidden in your love life too, buddy,” Dean shot before taking a shot of his drink.

“Well...after high school was when I dated the next guy. My parents had kicked me out and I had just managed to get cheap housing. I started seeing this guy at the local university. He was nice, but dorm life meant not a lot of privacy. At least once we got walked in on. Another time his roommate had been in there the whole time and I had no idea. He heard me say...a lot of things,” Castiel took a swig and scrubbed his hand down his face.

“Wow. I would hate for people other than my partners to hear what I say during sex,” Dean bit his lip in response while also taking a drink.

“That one was short-lived too. It only lasted 3 months. I was tired of always being in his dorm and he partied too much. The only thing I gained from that was meeting Balthazar on his floor and also meeting Meg,” he remembered. Balthazar had been in the dorm next to his boyfriend. More than once did Balthazar join them for meals.

“Did that guy seem like one to hold a grudge or anything? Did it end well?” Dean quizzed.

“It was fine. He started seeing a guy at his gym and we saw each other a few more times. He’s very nice, if not too into himself. Last I heard he had moved to Japan with the company he works for now. He majored in international business,” he replied.

“I suppose that’s not too worrisome. Just write his information down and I can double check,” Dean added. Castiel simply nodded and wrote down all that he knew. 

“Now, it’s your turn,” the brunette pointed.

“Ahh, yes. There were a string of one-night stands, then Lisa. We were together for...2 years. She had a kid, Ben. We had a nice family unit. But, she couldn’t handle being with a cop. I got shot once and she freaked out, didn’t want me to leave her and Ben because I died on the job. I can’t really fault her for that. We ended it. It sucked...I transferred here after that. Put me in the same town as Sam, Bobby, and Ellen, so there’s that,” he took a longer drink that time. He didn’t like to think about Lisa. He was over her, he had been for a long time, but her mom had left his dad for similar reasons. He never wanted to be like his dad.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Dean,” Castiel frowned, “relationships ending that way are almost more painful then when they end because of infidelity.”

“You live and you learn. I just know to be more upfront with my partners to avoid that sort of heartbreak again,” he revealed, “Now, you go.” He refilled both of their glasses. 

“I was single for a bit after that. Balthazar and I would go out a lot and he would try and help me find someone, but nothing ever panned out. I think I’m just too...introverted and odd. Not a lot of people had the patience, but I met one. The last man I dated was Inias. We were together for almost 5 years. I loved him...deeply. But he cheated on me. He accused me of cheating on him first, with Balthazar of all people. It hurt so much. Especially because Inias had been one of my biggest supporters. I thought we were going to get married. But the end came out of nowhere. He thought I cheated...so he cheated in retaliation. The breakup was messy,” Castiel downed his drink, “That was a year ago. I’ve been single since then.”

“Well, that sounds like he might be a great place to start when it comes to stalker territory. He still around?” Dean jotted down some information.

“I think so. He works for a bar in uptown. He’s the manager and head bartender,” he wrote down the name of the place, “I assume he still works there anyway.”

“I can check it out this weekend,” Dean hummed.

“Your turn again. Then we will be all caught up for me,” he pursed his lips.

“Well, there were some more one-night stands after Lisa. Then Michael. We were together for almost a year,” Dean presented as Castiel choked on his drink.

“Michael?” he confirmed.

“Yea. Michael,” Dean laughed as he patted Castiel on the back, “I’m bisexual, Cas. I date guys too.”

“I - uh - didn’t know,” he blushed.

“I don’t hide it, but I don’t advertise it. My dad fucking hates it. If he ever gets updated that I’m with a guy he doesn’t talk to me much until he hears we broke up,” Dean rolled his eyes and sipped his drink, beginning to feel a bit tipsy. 

“Was he a good boyfriend?” Castiel tested.

“Michael? Nope. Possessive fuck. He got mad because I’m kind of a flirt. And we always fought for...dominance. Don’t get me wrong, I’m versatile as shit, but even when he was on bottom he was on top, ya know what I mean?” Dean shook his head and laughed.

“I am...familiar with that, yes,” Castiel took a drink. He did not need to think about Dean in various positions.

“Can I ask...when did you know you were also attracted to men?” Castiel perplexed. He assumed it might been more confusing for bisexual people.

“Hard to pin down exactly. All I know, is that it became pretty solid in my head when I went to this college party before meeting Lisa. There was this guy, Benny. He had been hitting on me all night and one thing led to another...next thing I knew is that he was riding me hard in the upstairs bathroom. Couldn’t really question anything after that,” he blushed again and took another drink.

“That’ll do it,” Castiel giggled and kept on drinking as well. Both men exchanged more one-night encounters and eventually went on to talk about other things. They finished the bottle by the time it was 11pm. Castiel was leaning heavily against Dean on the couch and he felt like the blonde was even pulling him into his side. He was so warm and firm, he wanted to curl up into it.

“I should probably go home…” Castiel yawned. When he tried to stand up, however, he almost fell.

“No way,” Dean laughed as he pulled him back to the couch, “You are drunk and there is some weird stalker out there. Not sending you out into the night all drunk,” he tapped the end of Castiel’s nose and moved closer into his space.

“You want me to sleep here?” Castiel snickered.

“Yessss,” Dean droned, “Get cozy. We can watch Star Wars!” Castiel nodded and laughed as Dean excitedly put in the DVD. Next thing he knew, Dean was manhandling him into a better position on the couch. He found himself cradled to Dean’s chest with strong arms wrapped around his back. He couldn’t be bothered to move.


	4. Chapter 4

When Castiel woke up he was warm and feeling more relaxed than he had in ages. Arms were wrapped around him and he was tucked up under Dean’s chin.  _ Dean _ . He was curled up with Dean and suddenly very awake. Dean was coiled tightly around Castiel and breathing softly against the back of his neck. Castiel couldn’t quite bring himself to pull away, this being the first time he had been held by another person since Inias. He wanted to hold onto this feeling for a while. He wanted to feel safe and pretend he was wanted by Dean. After another 5 minutes the guilt began to creep in. He knew he should wake him up and pull away. Before he got a chance, Dean’s phone started blasting out some rock song that ripped the man from sleep. Dean jerked away and reached for his phone, only to freeze when he realized he was spooning Castiel. 

“Wow,” Dean breathed out as he fumbled his phone.

“Sorry for the noncon cuddling,” Castiel tempted to joke.

“Ehh, we were both drunk. And I’ve woken up in way worse states. Hungover?” he asked.

“No, actually,” Castiel took a deep breath and sat up, “I feel pretty good for all the whiskey we drank.”

“The Winchester magic strikes again,” Dean laughed.

“Didn’t know you were magic,” the other man chuckled.

“Of course I am. I cure hangovers,” Dean yawned and rose from the couch. Both men walked into the kitchen and started moving around to make coffee as if it was something they had done before. Dean made toast while Castiel grinded the beans. They sat quietly by the window and started  their day slowly without really thinking about how they were operating together.

“I think I’m going to have Sam check out Inias soon to explore whether or not he is a threat,” Dean gave.

“I do not believe he is, but it wouldn’t hurt to check, I guess,” he replied wistfully. He didn’t like to think about Inias. Inias destroyed him; ripped him open and left him raw. He still doesn’t know why he thought that he would cheat on him with Balthazar. 

“As soon as we find him the sooner we know you’ll be safe,” Dean continued.

“Then you can get back to your life,” Castiel hummed, “You can’t spend all your time baking pies for me.”

“Hey, I might not be getting paid but it’s a pretty nice way to spend a few hours. And the company isn’t half bad,” he winked. Castiel just bit his lip and blushed into his coffee, “Now, let’s get you home. I have to get some paperwork done and you are going to spend your day off relaxing for once.”

“I relax on my days off,” Castiel scoffed.

“Like hell you do,” he argued in good humor, “I expect you to watch the other Star Wars movies and eat ice cream in the bathtub.”

“Why would I eat ice cream in the bathtub?” he tilted his head.

“Because self-care looks like however you need it to, you heathen,” he pat his shoulder before they got ready to leave. 

Castiel only lived 3 blocks from Dean, which they discovered in  the days after the attack. It made commutes to work easier and it didn’t look so odd for Dean to cross paths with him so easily. The morning was sunny, almost too sunny after so little sleep. It was as chilly as the night before with winter creeping in. Dean actually hooked his arm around Castiel’s shoulders when they walked, mostly out of habit, to keep the other man warm. By the time they arrived to Castiel’s they were almost interwoven. Their joy, however, was short lived as there was an angry note pinned to Castiel’s door with some clear damage to the frame. In fact, the knob was also broken and it could just swing open with a slight nudge.

“Oh god,” Castiel gasped. Dean picked up the note and started reading through it;

_ Castiel, _

_ Sleeping with that new man in your shop? You can do so much better than him. He is a neanderthal. You’ve been bad, Castiel. I won’t be so forgiving next time. _

 

“What a whack job,” Dean grunted. He pulled out his phone and called Sam. He explained what they found and they were told to wait until he got there with another officer. Castiel was shaking again and Dean couldn’t help but pull him into another hug.

“It’ll be ok,” Dean soothed, “We will find him. He’s not coming near you as long as I’m around. Got it?” 

“I don’t know what I did,” Castiel sniffed, “Why is this person after me?”

“We can never know what motivates people like him. I’ve studied people like this for years and it’s still a mystery. All sorts of random things set them off. You just need to stay strong for me,” the officer held tighter. He didn’t even realize he was holding Castiel so tenderly; one hand perched on his hip while the other cupped the back of his head. He kept looking into those blue eyes, so soft and deep that he didn’t hear the people approach behind him.

“Don’t you two look cozy,” Meg drawled. The men turned quickly to find Sam, Meg, and Ruby hovering back a few feet.

“Meg? What are you doing here?” Castiel asked.

“I was called into consult. And do you think for even one second my wife would let me get out of helping you?” he cocked a brow and laughed, “When I told Carlie I was consulting at Dean-o’s precinct she threatened to withhold sex if I didn’t get on your case.”

“That sounds like her,” Castiel snorted, decidedly more calm than he was 10 minutes ago.

“I’m Ruby, by the way. I got put on the case to help out these two losers,” she snarked. Sam just rolled his eyes and Ruby glared at him.

“They used to date,” Meg stage whispered.

“I know,” Dean staged whispered back.

“Anyway,” Sam interrupted, “We should check out the place to see whether or not they went in and damaged or took anything.” All agreed and entered the home. At first glance, everything looked fine. Meg went back to the bedroom while Ruby checked out the office and bathroom. Sam and Dean surveyed the living room and kitchen when Castiel suddenly shouted.

“He took my recipe cards. They’re all gone,” he cried.

“Are you sure?” Dean double-checked the shelves, but Castiel was right. He had this antique, wooden recipe card holder where he kept all of the originals. He had digital back-ups, of course, but a lot of those cards were in his grandmother’s handwriting and the holder was made by his uncle.

“That asshole,” Meg glared. 

“This person knows how to hit you where it hurts,” Ruby hummed as she took a photo of the shelf, “Anything else missing that you can tell?”

“I think some cookbooks are gone. And I bet the cookbook I have been working on is probably gone too. Since that seems like he just hit all my baking stuff,” the man frowned deeply.

“As personal as he can get,” Sam murmured. Castiel’s phone began to ring and he answered right away.

“Hello, Balt,” he answered sadly.

“ _ Cassie? You sound terrible. Something the matter? _ ” Balthazar inquired.

“Someone broke in. They - they took all my recipe cards and the draft of my cook book,” he was almost about to cry again. 

“ _ Darling, no, _ ” Balthazar sounded, “ _ That is truly awful. Do you need somewhere to go today, love? My place is always open to you. _ ”

“I don’t know. The police are here now. And Dean. I can let you know later if they think I shouldn’t stay here,” he informed.

“ _ Dean? Good thing he was with you then _ ,” Balthazar coughed, “ _ Just keep my posted and I will be there as soon as you need. Alright? _ ”

“Yes. Thank you, I’ll call you later. I appreciate you being there for me,” Castiel finished and hung up. 

“I don’t know about Balthazar, but you probably shouldn’t stay here,” Sam began.

“Balthazar won’t really keep him safe if this guy is going to attack you again,” Meg argued.

“He can stay with me. I was going to try and talk to Inias today. Cas can lock himself into my apartment, it locks down tight. I have a security system and my bathroom doubles as a panic room. He’d be safe there,” Dean countered.

“That’s not bad,” Sam nodded.

“Easier to keep tabs. We could check in with him at different intervals,” Ruby started typing on her phone.

“I am right here. You could ask me what I want,” Castiel cut in. 

“Fuck. I’m sorry, Cas. We keep doing that. Deciding for you,” the blonde caught himself, pinching his brow,”What would you like to do?”

“Staying at your place will be fine. I could also go to Gabriel's,” he sighed. 

“They might suspect you’d go there. Dean’s place is at least secure,” Meg added.

“Yea. I’ll to Dean’s,” he frowned and looked forlornly at the shelf with his missing recipes. He packed a small bag and let Ruby drive him to Dean’s with the spare key. Dean - Dean was on a mission. With a fire underneath him he decided to go find this Inias person and get to the bottom of who was trying to hurt Castiel.

 

0o0o0o0o0o0

 

Dean was approaching the front doors of some divey bar called  _ Horns _ when he was frustrated to find the doors locked, but there were some lights on inside. He was about to go to the station and come back later when a man stepped around fro the corner with a coffee in his hand while smoking a cigarette. He ganced at Dean and cocked an eyebrow.

  


“Sorry. We don’t open until 6pm. We stay open until 5am so we tend to open back up late enough for me to get sleep,” the man announced.

  


“You got a few minutes, buddy?” Dean gave a half-smile, “You Inias?”

“I am...why do I have the honor speaking to one of our city’s finest?” he replied, voice dripping with sarcasm. Dean was a little surprised, expecting to see someone who looked a little more...put together and less rough around the edges. He did not expect someone who looked a bit like himself. 

“I’m investing a case of stalking and harassment. You’re connected to the victim,” he began.

“Am I a suspect?!” he balked.

“Not yet. Time will tell on that one,” Dean tightened his smile. Inias just glared and unlocked the front door, beckoning Dean to come inside and locking back up behind them. He drank his coffee and sat at an empty chair near the bar.

“Ask away, law-man,” he droned.

“What can you tell me about Castiel Novak?” Dean pulled out his notepad.

“Cassie?” Inias paused, “Someone is stalking him? Is he alright?”

“Yea. They have been leaving notes, broke too his place. They broke into his work not too far back and attacked him. He’s fine. Just some bruising,” Dean began, “We have been going through his old boyfriends to find some contenders. So far...you’re the most suspicious based on how your relationship ended.” Inias actually looked sad at that, hanging his head and fiddling with his fingers.

“I - I was an ass. I never should have done what I did. He didn’t deserve that,” the man lamented.

“Yea. He seems like a really nice guy. Said you accused him of cheating on him and then turned around to cheat on him,” Dean gave.

“I did. I was a fucking jerk. Cassie never cheated on me. I should have never believed that limey bastard,” he grunted and chugged his coffee.

“Limey bastard? Do you mean Balthazar?” he confirmed.

“Yep. Long-time friend and huge 3rd wheel. I get that they were close, but he was always around. Balthazar was nice but I wanted space from him. He even had a key to Cassie’s place. I decided to take Cassie on a vacation to California. We went to this giant bee farm. He bought barrels of honey. It was perfect. We went to the beach, restaurants, and spent a week in a quiet cabin. When we got back...Balthazar was irritated. He got needy and started taking up all of Cassie’s free time. Then, Balthazar came to my bar one night and told me that he and Castiel were having an affair. Said he wanted to be a ‘bigger man’ and tell me. I was an idiot and believed him. I got wasted and went on a 3 day bender. I fucked anyone who looked my way. Didn’t take his calls. I was a shit for days. Then...I come home to find him waiting for me. Worried. So sad. He cleaned my place and made me dinner, brought groceries, because he thought something was wrong. He is a fucking angel and I treated him like an afterthought. We ended up fighting. Told him what I did. Told him it was his fault because he cheated first. He cried,” he recalled as he fisted his hands, “I kicked him out. I didn’t answer his calls. It wasn’t until weeks later when I ran into Meg. She kindly informed me that Cassie had never cheated. That Cassie has no idea why I would think that. In fact, he told me that she even knew that they had never had sex. Wouldn't elaborate but...I know she’s right. He wouldn’t do that to me. I blew it. I fucked up a wonderful relationship with an even more wonderful man.”

“And does that guilt manifest in stalking?” Dean pressed.

“No. No fucking way. I would never,” he held up his hands defensively, “I don’t know who would stalk him, but it is not me.” Dean held his gaze and he didn’t want to believe him, but he did. He could just tell that Inias was not the type to go through the trouble that this stalker was.

“Ok, fine. Let’s say I believe you. Who would? Anyone come to mind? The letters left were full of creepy, romantic intent. And then there was the attack. Anyone from when you were dating who gave him unwanted attention?” Dean continued. 

“Honestly, not that I remember. He never mentioned anything to me about anyone being creepy. I was worried about that Gordon guy for awhile, but he’s harmless. Pretty nice guy. Have you talked to him? He’s always around. Seem to see everything,” Inias shrugged.

“If I knew how to tack the homeless guy, then I would,” he sighed, “Been focusing on just keeping him safe so far. Just...call me if you think of anything, alright?” Dean slid him his card and got up to leave.

“Ok. Thanks,” he looked at his lap, “When you talk to him next...will you tell him I’m sorry? I’m not stupid enough to think or hope that he’d take me back, but he deserves to know that I believe him. That I know it’s all my fault. He deserves to be happy.”

“Yea, man. I will,” Dan waved as he left the small bar. It had been so dark inside that the sun outside was blinding. It was colder than he remembered before stepping inside and he pulled his jacket tighter. He shot a text to Sam that he didn’t get much from Inias but that he didn’t think he was their guy. He did mention the weird thing Balthazar did, telling Inias that they had been having an affair. He might not know Castiel very well, but he doesn’t seem the type. Nor did he appear to be very into Balthazar in the first place. It was perplexing. He ended up going back to the station and updated Bobby before doing some paperwork. Ruby had let him know a few more things after their sweep of the apartment. Turns out he stalker also took some clothes and his...personal toys. Which creeped Castiel out to no end. Creeped Dean out a bit too. It was 4:30pm before he realized he had gone the whole day without eating and had been chasing coffee. He needed to go home and lie down. He needed to do laundry too, so Cas could sleep on his bed. He wasn’t about to put the stalking victim on the couch.

When he got home he was immediately overwhelmed by an amazing smell. There was music playing softly and Castiel was moving around his kitchen in a black apron with flour all over the front, as if they were at his bakery. There were candles burning and it looks like he cleaned up the living room and dining area. 

“Wow,” Dean paused, “Is this what being married is like?”

“Ha. Ha,” Castiel deadpanned, “I was just being trying to thank you for being so helpful and putting up with me.”

“I’ve helped a lot of people, but no one ever made me dinner. A lady did offer me a blow job once, though,” he laughed.

“I need more wine for that to be on the table,” Castiel mumbled.

“So what did you make for me?” Dean waggled his eyebrows as he bolted the door and toed off his shoes.

“Beef Wellington with glazed carrots and some cherry tarts,” he replied as he pulled a pan from the oven.

“No idea what Beef Wellington is, but I bet it's great like everything else you make,” he sighed.

“No need to flatter me. Go wash up, though. It’s almost ready,” he shooed Dean from the kitchen and went back to plating things. He felt compelled to take care of Dean, and not out of some obligation due to being kept safe by the man, but because there was something about Dean that made it seem like he never really took care of himself and that no one else did either. As he was cleaning he just found dusty corners and a fridge full of take out containers. He had groceries delivered and threw away anything questionable. He just integrated himself into the space without thinking about it.

“You have to let me get dinner next time,” Dean said as he re-entered the kitchen. He was now wearing jeans with a soft, green henley; looking very domestic with slightly mussed up hair. Castiel just grinned and handed him a glass of wine before setting down the plates. Dean took a spot at the table and waited for Cas to join him. 

“Looks amazing, Cas,” Dean beamed. Castiel did his best not to blush but was sure that he did.

“Hopefully you feel that way about the taste too. Haven’t made it in some time,” Castiel began to cut his food as Dean just dove in. He watched the man take a bite and let out an indecent moan before shoveling in another.

“Holy fuck. This is the best thing I've ever tasted. Even better than Ellen’s burgers,” Dean said with his mouth full.

“Come on,” Castiel smiled

“Seriously. Best. Thing. Ever,” he kept eating and moaning. Castiel just watched and wished he saw this all the time.

“So...what did you do today?” Castiel tested as he sipped his wine between bites.

“I - uh - interviewed a person of interest,” Dean started.

“Person of interest?” Castiel stopped.

“I talked to Inias. Needed to rule him out,” he didn’t look up. Didn’t want to see Cas’ face.

“Did you rule him out?” he murmured.

“Yea. Don’t think it’s him. He seemed to be concerned and sincerely surprised,” Dean motioned with his hands, “He’s sorry, by the way. For how it ended.”

“He should be. It took a long time to get over,” Cas revealed with a furrowed brow.

“As far as I know, I’ve never really been cheated on, so I can’t say that I know what it feels like, but I do wish you could’ve avoided that particular life experience,” Dean winced.

“There are a few of those lately - life experiences I could go without knowing,” the brunette looked at his plate.

“How about we finish up dinner and move dessert to the living room. And the wine. I have just the thing to cheer you up,” Dean began to smile.

“Oh yea?” Cas gave a tentative grin.

“Oh yea. Take you right out of your head for a bit,” Dean smirked and rose from the table.

“Ok. I trust you, Dean,” he replied and Dean’s heart stuttered for a bit. No one but Sam had ever really said that to him before. If Cas trusted him...he wasn’t sure what that meant.


	5. Chapter 5

“What is this show called?” Castiel quirked.

“Dr. Sexy. Yea...it’s...it doesn’t look like my kind of scene, but it’s good and it’s sexy and I like it. No shame,” Dean relaxed into the couch. 

“I do not watch much television, except for some cooking shows and documentaries,” Castiel shrugged as he sat next to dean on the couch. He watched as Dean stretched out his long legs onto the coffee table and mirrored him. He was wearing a thin, blue sweater and black slacks. He didn’t think about it when he picked the sweater, not realizing how very blue it made his eyes look. Dean’s eyes always looked gorgeous; so green and warm. He felt so safe with Dean. So...accepted. It was hard to explain. It was not as if he felt rejected like most people around him, he simply found that Dean asked no questions and simply went along with whatever weird quirks popped up. 

“You are missing out. This show is full of beautiful people and it is like a vacation for my brain,” he sighed as he put his arm on the back of the couch, Castiel’s hair brushing against his arm.

“I look forward to viewing it with you then,” he smiled and let his body relax next to Dean’s, trying to remain composed. The firm body of the man who had been protecting him for weeks was almost too alluring. He just sipped his wine and let himself finally relax after all this time feeling tense.

Dean kept glancing at Cas out of the corner of his eye to watch his reactions. He wanted Cas to enjoy himself and unwind after being a walking, raw nerve. He pulled Cas into his arm and the man sputtered a bit at the action. Dean just smirked as Castiel adjusted to the new closeness. Dean knew he was playing with fire here, having more and more trouble keeping himself under control around this beautiful and kind man. He hated every second of the attack the man endured just for Dean to come into his life, but he hated the idea of them never having met even more. He thought about this case eventually ending. He thought about asking Castiel out for coffee once he was no longer under police protection. He thought about waking up to those blue eyes in the morning and cuddling up to his sleepy form. He thought about how all these desires were currently unprofessional and inappropriate. The power dynamic was something he would not take advantage up as much as he might want to. Not unless Cas wanted to - if Cas expressed similar desires.

By the time they made is to the 3rd episode, Castiel looked antsy. He was fidgeting and curling more into Dean’s side. He thought maybe the baker was feeling anxious; he was in someone else’s home and dealing with a traumatic situation. He pulled Castiel closer and soothed him by running his hand down his back. Cas’ breath hitched when their bodies connected deeper. He turned his face to look at Dean, who had a confused and concerned expression on his face. He swallowed and darted his eyes between Dean’s eyes and lips, not sure where was safer to look as his heart began to race.

“Cas?” Dean whispered. Their heads drifted closer together. Castiel tilted his head and soon their lips slotted together, mouths gentle. Dean let out a quiet moan as Castiel whimpered. They continued to kiss softly as Dean cupped Castiel’s face and their chests pressed together. Both men had forgotten themselves as they touched so intimately. 

“ Gâteau au miel,” Castiel murmured against Dean’s lips.

“What?” Dean smiled as he kissed Castiel again.

“Gâteau au miel. It is honey cake. You taste like honey cake,” Castiel informed.

“I guess that’s a good thing,” he chuckled and ran his fingers through Castiel’s hair.

“Let’s make some,” Castiel jumped up, heart beating wildly.

“What?” Dean’s eyebrows rose and he just grinned at how cute Castiel appeared in the moment, his cheeks flushed and lips red.

“We should go to my shop and make some,” he breathed out.

“You don’t want to just make cake because you’re feeling anxious about what just happened?” he tested.

“No. I - well, you taste like honey cake so it occurred to me to make some and I’ll likely never be able to eat or make it again without thinking of you. But also, I bake when I feel overwhelmed sometimes. I made 4 batches of brownies the night after I lost my virginity. It is an odd coping skill, I suppose. But I have been thinking of kissing you since I first saw you and I have been around you each day. You keep me safe, you’re trying to find my stalker and you opened your home to me. I am feeling overwhelmed because there is so much going on. I - “

Dean stood up and kissed him again before he could continue with his ramble. The officer held him close and kissed him deeply as Castiel’s entire body melted in his hands, “Let’s go to your shop and make some cake. Ok, Cas?”

“Yea,” Castiel blushed and followed Dean to the door. They linked fingers as they made their way out of the building and walked into the night. It was cold, so Dean was more than happy to wrap his arm around Castiel and keep him close. By the time they got to the bakery, Castiel was practically sharing Dean’s coat and the larger man couldn’t keep his hands off the brunette in his arms. They couldn’t stop giggling as they spilled into the shop and locked the door behind them. They didn’t say much as they went into the kitchen, Dean falling into routine as Castiel pulled out ingredients. Dean simply took advantage of this new closeness and stole kisses whenever they moved into each other’s face. 

The night was dark and it was nearing 1am. They could see from the kitchen onto the sidewalk through the large window by the display cases. Every so often a person or group would walk by, casting shadows into the shop. The smell of baking and honey, the soft music, and occasional shadows made the night seem surreal to Dean. When Cas crossed in front of his path again, he grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him into his space. He kissed Castiel fiercely, it was a hard clash of lips and teeth as he hoisted the man up, legs wrapping around his middle.

“I had been afraid to kiss you, Cas,” he said between pecks as he planted small kisses around his face.”

“Why?” the man managed.

“Didn’t want to take advantage,” he answered.

“You. Are a good man, Dean Winchester. I would have stopped you if I did not want it,” he gave with finality and kissed him again, Dean had spun them around and placed Castiel on the counter. They rolled their hips together and Dean struggled not to pull clothes away. When he tucked his face against Castiel’s neck to bit down, they heard a loud noise from the front of the shop. When glancing up they saw, what appeared to be, beer all over the window and most likely broken glass outside the shop along the ground. 

“Do you think it was just some drunk?” Cas froze.

“Maybe. Stay here,” Dean backed away as he drew his gun.

  


Dean exited the front of the shop and did find a broken bottle on the ground. He didn’t see anyone in either direction, but he heard a rustling from around the corner. He followed the sound, only to see a homeless, black man searching through the bins in the alley by Cas’s bakery. 

“Hey,” Dean got his attention. The man stood up and froze at the sight of the gun.

“Not lookin’ for any trouble. Just wanted to see if Castiel left some food,” he stammered. Dean deflated and holstered his gun.

“You’re Gordon,” he sighed.

“Yea,” he nodded.

“Been looking for you, actually,” Dean stepped forward, “Cas was attacked in his shop a few weeks back and the police had been looking to talk to you. See if you knew or saw anything that night.”

“Haven’t been around. Someone knocked me out on my way here. Cas said that morning he was going to make some meat pies since it was getting cold and that he would leave me some. I was coming from over there,” he pointed at an alley across the street, “When someone hit me on the back of the head. I woke up in the VA hospital. I guess some people found me.”

“I’m sorry for that. How are you now?” Dean asked.

“Great, actually. Stayed there for a few days. Got some new clothes and a nice shower. Decent food. Not better than Castiel’s though,” he smiled.

“Silver linings, I guess,” Dean sighed, “Do you remember anything else from that night? Did the attacker say anything?”

“He said I was a ‘bloody nuisance’ before he hit me once and a 2nd time,” he recalled. That caused Dean pause, the wording being very specific.

“What can you tell me about anyone weird watching Cas? We believe he has a stalker and any information you could give would really help me out,” Dean continued.

“Stalker? That’s not a surprise. People had been leaving him weird notes. I saw one once, they left it on the back door,” he offered.

“Did you ever see them leave it?” he pressed.

“Once. The man wore a black coat and a hat. I think he had blonde hair. He was white. Taller, taller than me anyway. He ran off. Didn’t get a better look at him though,” Gordon explained.

“Better than the nothing I was going on before,” Dean shrugged, “Cas was making a few things. I’ll see if he has anything for you.” Gordon just smiled and sat down in the alley on some crates. Dean thought as he walked, noting it was likely not a coincidence that both Gordon and Castiel were attacked on the same night, he just couldn’t figure out why. Why Gordon? He was harmless, but he wasn’t absent. Maybe that was the problem. It was likely that this stalker knew Gordon would be stopping by that night and took him out of the equation. Which led Dean to a startling conclusion that whoever attacked him had insider knowledge that Cas was making something he would be leaving for Gordon that night. He filtered through everyone that worked in the bakery; Kevin, Samandriel, Gabriel helps sometimes, there is that college kid who works the front...but he’s always stoned. There was the woman that delivered the produce Cas used and a high schooler who helped in the front after school. None of them stood out as a threat to Dean at all. All thoughts stopped when he stepped into the back kitchen and saw Balthazar standing in front of Castiel, looking positively enraged. He was always swaying a bit. Drunk.

“Really, Cassie? That blonde, neanderthal?!” he slurred.

“Balt, why are you here? Why are you mad at Dean?” Cas stepped back.

“I was coming from the bar and saw your light on. Wanted to pop in when I saw you necking with that man. That man who is not good enough for you. You are not his,” he glared.

“What?” Castiel flinched.

“You heard me. You’re mine. You’ve always been mine. You were too good for Inias and I ran him off as soon as I realized he might try and keep you. It didn’t take much to sway him. I knew he was not worthy. I almost had you. But then - then, this fucking man with seemingly no sense. He is a dimwit. Sure, he’s pretty, but he cannot match your intellect,” he sneered, still oblivious to Dean hovering just by the door, out of sight of both men.

“Balthazar….I don’t understand,” Castiel stepped back.

“Of course, you don’t. How could you? You never heeded my notes. You - you - I almost had you. I had you in my hands and underneath me. But then you had to trip that alarm. I had done so much to get us alone together without interruptions. I even took care of that homeless nuisance you indulge,” he began to move towards Castiel, dropping the bottle in his hand, “You felt so good under me, Cassie.” Realization dawned on Castiel right away.

“You - you attacked me? But why? I thought you were away?” he gasped.

“I came back early. I needed to surprise you, love,” he hummed and raked his eyes up and down Castiel, “As for the why...because you are mine and I will have you. I have earned you after all the work I have done to get you.”

“Dick bag!” Dean shouted out as he drew his gun, “You need to back off. Right. Now.”

  


“A gun? Really? You americans are always armed when they don’t need to be,” he rolled his eyes, barely alarmed by the presence of a weapon.

“Well, us cops tend to carry them around,” he informed. 

“Cop?” Balthazar paused.

“Oh yea. Officer Dean Winchester, to be exact. I have been assigned to protect Cas from the crazy stalker who has been bothering him. Who knew I’d fall for the guy in the process,” he grinned, watching Balthazar glare in his direction. He had already dialed for Sam before drawing his weapon, so he was on speaker and listening to this conversation, likely on his way.

“Isn’t that precious,” Balthazar deadpanned, “Come on, Cassie. You know we would be so good together.”

“I don’t want you, Balt. I never did,” Castiel admitted.

“You would learn to want me. I could make you love me!” he shouted in reply.

“No. I - I don’t. I could never. You are not what I want,” he continued.

“If I can’t have you...then I suppose no one will. No one but me can touch you. Can  _ love _ you,” he hissed before lunging at Castiel. Balthazar was fast, but Dean was quicker. He took aim and shot Balthazar right through the shoulder before he could even step into Castiel’s space. He screamed and dropped to his knees while Castiel jumped back and braced himself on the counter. Gordon suddenly came through the back with a lid in his hand, ready to swing. He stopped when he saw Dean with his gun still drawn and Balthazar on the floor.

“Damn. You are fast,” he commented.

“It happens,” Dean breathed out and holstered his weapon before pulling Castiel away from where Balthazar was bleeding on the tiles. There were police light illuminating the alley behind them and the storefront as well, Sam barreling through the front door with Ruby on his tail. Meg darted in from the back and stood behind Gordon.

“I’ll be damned,” Meg gaped, “It was him all along. I knew he was a creep.”

“He needs medical attention. I shot him. Then you can arrest him,” Dean grumbled as he gave Sam his gun. Some other officers entered along with a medic to take care of Balthazar. Cas was shaking a bit and sought out Dean from comfort. He wrapped him up in a hug and breathed him in. 

“I can’t believe it was him - he - he has been doing this for years,” Castiel mumbled, feeling broken.

“Yea. I can’t believe anyone would want to hurt you so much,” Dean soothed, rubbing small circles on his back. 

“What do we do now?” Castiel asked.

“Well, we take care of the nutter-butters limey. Then...then I take you home where you can finally rest. Then we figure the rest out,” he smiled.

“I guess you won’t be coming to the shop every day anymore,” Castiel sniffed and laughed a bit. 

“You’re an idiot if you think I’m not coming here for breakfast every morning. I can’t live without your pastries anymore. And I might have gotten attached to the baker,” he beamed.

“Ugh,” Sam, Ruby, and Meg all groaned.

“Just get him out of here. I don’t need to see your grossness right now,” Meg rolled her eyes. Ruby laughed and Sam elbowed her.

“Come on. We might have to forego the cake tonight, but I bet I can give you something else to focus on,” Dean smirked and almost scooped Castiel up into his arms. He just put an arm around his waist and led him from the shop. They climbed into his car and Castiel stared out in the night as the police filled his shop and dragged Balthazar out, detaining him. Castiel suddenly felt exhausted and passed out in the passenger seat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> final chapter will be FULL of smutty, fluffy goodness.


	6. Epilogue

Dean woke up slowly, in increments. He stretched his arms out, reaching for a warm body, only to be met with cool sheets. The sudden cold startled him and he woke up with a start. He had grown used to Castiel in his bed by this point. After Balthazar was arrested Castiel still didn’t feel safe in his own home. He slept at Gabriel’s a lot, then Anna’s, even Charlie and Meg’s a few times. But, out of every location, he felt safest at Dean’s. And ever since they hired Gordon to work at the bakery in the mornings, giving Castiel more time to himself. Eventually they gave up all pretense of taking things slow and Castiel moved in after 3 weeks. Every morning would be the same, Dean would wake up and curl around Cas, nuzzling the back of his neck and waking him up with soft kisses that often turned into slow and deep, morning sex, usually with Castiel lying back and letting Dean take his fill until they were both spent. Then they would make coffee and eat whatever pastries were leftover that Castiel had brought home with him. So, to wake up in a cold bed was a bit of a surprise.

“Cas?” Dean called out.

“In the kitchen!” he heard from outside the bedroom door. Dean smiled lazily and as getting ready to climb out of bed before Castiel entered the room with two mugs of coffee. 

  


Cas set each down on the small table near their bed and began to strip off the shirt he was wearing, which was Dean’s.

“You know, I do not happen to like waking up alone,” Dean sighed and pulled the covers back, wanting Castiel to return to bed.

“I know, but I thought I would get a jumpstart on the coffee,” he smiled and climbed into bed, “I thought you would be grateful.”

“Oh. I am very,  _ very _ grateful,” Dean crawled over Cas to give him a soft kiss. He let his hand trail down Cas’ chest to settle on his hipbone. He drew small circles with his thumb and pressed their bodies close together. 

“Would you be more grateful if I told you that I am also making apple hand-pies for you?” he snickered and ran his fingers through Dean’s hair.

“Are you trying to earn more awesome boyfriend points from me? Because I think you maxed out after you gave me a blowjob in my squad car,” the blonde grinned and nipped at Cas’ neck.

“I bet I could earn more,” he breathed out, “But that was not my intent with the pies.”

“How would you earn more?” Dean asked as he kissed and licked down Castiel’s neck.

“That is a surprise,” he grinned and spread his legs some. Dean simply crawled between them and pinned the other man’s body to the bed.

“Oh yea? What kind of surprise are we talkin’?” he smirked and shifted their hips. Dean was nude, as was Castiel. Their slowly hardening cocks brushed up together and Castiel gasped out, arching his back. Dean’s eyes darkened and moved his knees to spread Castiel’s legs wider. He took his other hand to loosely stroke Cas’ cock and fondle his balls before sliding lower to brush over the perineum and pressing against the plug that Castiel had put in and didn’t bother to mention to Dean.

“Oh, Cas,” he beamed, “When did you put this in? Before you made the coffee and pie?”

“Yes. I was thinking of you as I did it,” he moaned when Dean pushed it in deeper. 

“I bet you were. God, so sexy,” he kissed him deeply, his tongue pressing forward to lick against Cas’. Their bodies almost danced together until Castiel seemed to grow impatient with Dean’s teasing. Dean had only pulled the plug out and had yet to enter him with any finger, just circling the rim over and over. So, Castiel sat up and spun them around, briefly disorienting Dean. Cas sat atop him and stared down at his lover.

“You know that I have trouble tolerating teasing, Dean,” Castiel rolled his hips against Dean and watched the man’s eyes roll back at the friction he was getting. Castiel, when they finally managed to get home after the night with Balthazar, turned out to be more voracious in bed than Dean was expecting. They had fallen asleep when they first got home, but Dean woke up to Castiel touching him everywhere. Dean was more than happy to reaffirm his affection for the man. Thoroughly. Castiel never stopped moving and he had very nimble fingers that Dean appreciated a great deal.

“I remember,” Dean smirked and grabbed onto Castiel’s hips. He was as eager as Castiel was to fuck, but he did love to torture Castiel until he was begging or lost control and took over. It didn’t take long this morning.

“Grab me the lube,” Castiel nearly demanded. Dean obliged by pulling it out of the side drawer and handing it to Cas. The brunette simply slicked up his hands and started stroking Dean. They were still figuring out all the most sensitive spots on each other, but the classics were always a good place to start.

Castiel stroked him slowly before taking both of their cocks in his hands and jerking them even firmer, listening to Dean grunt and moan. He twisted his hands at the crown of Dean’s dick and pressed his thumb against it. He took his other hand and brought it behind himself, he was still prepared from the plug but wanted to be sure. Dean was bigger than anyone he had ever been with, even bigger than his favorite toy. He had yet to replace them ever since that little burglary. He got everything back, but he wasn’t going near those toys after that man had them. He didn’t really need them with Dean around. Without a warning he lifted himself up and slid Dean right up into himself, burying him to the hilt immediately.  

“Shit,” Dean blurted as Castiel began to rise and fall above him.

“Oh god,” Castiel moaned and continued to ride Dean. Those soft, green eyes watched him with such intensity that Castiel felt like he might get lost. Dean’s body was firm beneath him, hard muscles and smooth skin, a few scars along his torso. Castiel traced each one with his fingers while he moved up and down, large hands holding his hips. He loved this - when he and Dean were close and he felt a little more dominant. Balthazar had almost taken that from him. But Dean gave everything back threefold. He loved this man. Everything about him from his love of classic rock to his strange obsession with pie. He anchored Castiel to everything and kept him from spiraling away. 

“Fuck. So perfect. Love you so much,” Dean managed as he gripped Castiel tighter.

“Dean,” Castiel breathed out as he scratched his nails down Dean’s chest. Their movements were slow and rhythmic, Castiel bending down to press their mouths together, “You taste like honey.” Dean smiled against Castiel’s lips and thanked the god he didn’t believe in that he found this man, even if it was through scary circumstances.  


End file.
